2 Addition to the Family

-1359 words-

[Year 45, Sunagakure]

It's been 2 years since Souei joined the academy and so far, things have been going great. His aunt upped the training once he discovered his Bloodline Limit and his knowledge on the theoretical and practical aspects of puppetry has grown leaps and bounds.

He also discovered that his threads could be used for much more versatility than the ordinary chakra strings. For one thing, they were solid. Meaning they could be used as sharp weapons to cut and slash or even grab things from a distance.

He's still learning and fine tuning his Kekkei Genkai as it stands, but a great amount of progress is being made, especially considering he's still the tender age of 7.

In the academy, he and Rasa have grown to be each other's rivals. Souei started getting slightly ahead as time went on, the extra lessons he had with his aunt and uncle helping him in his training. But Rasa soon proved his genius by regularly keeping up with his progress. The gap grew much shorter however, the day Rasa managed the ability of Magnet Release. A feat that was only achieved by previous Kazekage's. His strength comes from the unique element he manipulates through Magnet Release which is Gold Dust. Even the Third Kazekage himself was suitably impressed when he received the reports.

They became equals in every sense of the word, with them having their own strengths where the other lacks. As they showcased their abilities more and more throughout the years, it became inevitable for the people to start noticing them.

Along with their found strengths and talent however, came expectation. They were soon heralded as the geniuses of Suna. Rare talents that were born once every few generations. Civilians and ninja alike hailing them the future pillars of Sunagakure.

Predictably, Souei didn't take this well. It was as if his so-called 'genius' automatically meant that he had to change the world for the better. Who the hell decided that? Why should other people's expectations become a burden for himself?

He asked his aunt the same question.

"Well that's the same question that people ask us all the time, Souei. Why do ninjas give their lives for the village? What makes all this worth fighting for?" Chiyo asked with a kind smile.

"I don't know, I thought that's because it was their jobs." Souei answered naively.

"Jobs, hm? That's not entirely wrong, per se. Earlier you told me that you don't like other people deciding what you should be. Then let me ask you this, what do you want to be?"

Suffice to say, the question stumped him. Souei tried his best to answer the question but no words managed to come out of his mouth that day. Simply because there wasn't one.

He entered the academy because all his family were ninja so he thought he should be one too. He felt passionate about puppetry, and that passion grew even larger since he awakened his bloodline. But until this point, it has been nothing more than a fleeting hobby.

So what does he want to do?

Aunt Chiyo noticed his distress and put a hand on Souei's head. She ruffled his hair and smiled warmly. "Don't think too much about it now. You're still young, Souei. You'll figure it out soon."

He didn't really like having to wait, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

Currently, he was sparring against Rasa in a rather intense Taijutsu match in the academy. They were circling each other, looking for openings to exploit before forgoing everything and charging each other.

Rasa attacked first with a right fist that was easily parried to the side by Souei, who then countered with his own attack. They continued to trade blows, with each getting their own hits in and receiving others in their bout. Rasa had strength and endurance in spades, while Souei had speed and was much more technically skilled.

Murata sensei were watching them with a keen eye to notice the faults and weaknesses of their respective styles and where they could work from there. The other students meanwhile, could only look in awe and amazement as the two taijutsu users continuously fought each other, attacks were parried and dodged, while kicks were blocked and countered. Neither however, showed signs of giving up.

It was only when Souei did an unexpected move did he secure the win. When Rasa extended himself for a punch, instead of the usual parry, Souei ducked and landed a straight kick on Rasa's chin, declaring the match.

"Well done Rasa, Souei." Murata sensei congratulated. "Your skills are growing at an incredible pace. At this rate, we might be looking at a quick graduation from the both of you." He chuckled.

"Thank you, sensei." They both replied. Rasa however, was still rubbing his chin in pain. Soon enough, the class was dismissed as the teacher walked away.

The rest of the class crowded them, with a few people heaping praises towards the two geniuses. Souei himself just gave a light smile before making his way back to the academy. Rasa, the ever loving dork, didn't even have a change in emotion as he remained stoic even when some of the fangirls approached him. He quickly walked up to Souei's side and followed him to the academy.

— Marionette of Suna —

Chiyo smiled wide as she received the news. Her daughter-in-law was pregnant, and if the tests were to be believed, was already 4 months in. She honestly can't wait to bring the news to his nephew. Family is one of the few things he appreciates, and having that family grow will be good for him.

As expected, Souei took the news like a child in a candy store. He had wide smiles and said to everyone listening that he's going to be 'the best big brother ever!'. Even though he was technically supposed to be the child's uncle, Souei was adamant on being called brother instead.

Honestly, Souei always did wear his heart on his sleeve. It was something he needed to work on when he's a full fledged shinobi, but no one would deny it's one of his more endearing qualities.

Chiyo immediately informed Ebizo about the pregnancy and he was no less thrilled than she was when she received the news.

Soon enough 5 months passed in a blink of an eye and the awaited day came forth. Chiyo, who was an experienced med-nin, was chosen as the person who would deliver the baby. The only people in the room currently were the parents. Her son and daughter-in-law, who were holding hands in which the former was being rightfully crushed by the latter in response to the pain. Souei and Ebizo were waiting outside of the hospital room, clearly nervous and worried from all the screaming.

They were accompanied by the Third Kazekage himself, who joined them to celebrate the occasion. His presence was somewhat mandatory. Both for political reasons and security, seeing as Chiyo is one the most respected and accomplished ninja in the entire village.

After a grueling 10 minutes, the screams died down and were replaced by the cries of a baby. The mother held her baby with teary eyes. Her husband was no better as he just gazed on the face of their son.

Chiyo looked at it all with a knowing smile. After all, she's been through this before. Twice in fact, with Souei's birth the more recent one.

"What will you name him?" Chiyo asked the new parents.

"Sasori. His name will be Sasori."

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Hey folks!

This is also where the AU sort of starts since the Third Kazekage isn't supposed to start his reign for another few years. I just made him the Kage immediately since we know next to nothing about his predecessor.

Sasori is born, yay.

For advanced chapters, Head on to my pat_reon page! Depending on the tier, you could get between 4 or 10 chapters ahead along with a few other benefits.

P_atr_eon.com/TeemVizzle

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That's all for today's notes.

Cheers!

Trivia: Who's your favorite Akatsuki member and why?